Furnace



mysm w w. F. DELTWILER 9 FURNACE Filed March 9, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 6 IN V EN TOR. m

wwm 2/9 I I ALL, ATTORNEYS.

Dec. 4%, 193%. w. F. DETWILER FURNACE Filed March 9, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 DQQ. 3@, 193% F, DETWgLER 1,7823%? FURNACE Filed March 9., 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 V fate ntedt Dec. 30,

i wrnnmfi F. DETWIIJER, OFITARENTQTUM. PENNSYLVANIA V FURNACE I i Application filed. March 9,

7 This invention relates to furnaces and more'particularly to ;so called continuous furnaces for; use in. annealingv or otherwise Z treating iron, steel or alloy sheets or other object -Anobject of this invention isto provide a furnace of the typeset forth of an improved construction and arrangement. V I

As heretofore constructed-furnaces of this type havebeen provided with various forms of conveyor mechanisms, no ne of which have been satisfactory for various reasons, among others, the fact that they were not protected in anyway from the heat of the furnace and hence deteriorated rapidly or, second, they opened theinterior ofthe heated chanibcrto the atmosphere. I A further; objecto f this invention is to provide a furnace havinga conveyor mechq anism free'iof thesean'd other defects.

' A further object ist'o provide a' furnace of-ithe typeset forth constructed and arranged Ito mechanically unload material from the conveyor after it has passedthrough the furnace.

These andotheriobjects which will be ap'- parent to those skilled in this particular art are accomplished by means of the invention illustrated in the. accompanying drawings 9 in which Fig. 1 isfa'transverse sectional view through thefurnace and conveyor mechanism constructed in accordance with one em-.

bodiment of this invention, Fig. 2-is a view in side elevation of .the deliveryend of ap-- 3 :;plicants conveyor mechanism at the unloading zone. Fig. 3 is a similar view of the loading end. :Fig. 4 is a perspective view of certain details of construction "and Figrbis a plan view ofone'form of unloader. Although the particular form of the pres ent invention which has been chosen for the purposes ofillustration is shown in the form of anannealing furnace for annealing sheets it'iwill be apparent'that the invention is equally applicable to other types of furnaces employed in connection with other forms of work. 7 c As illustrated,'the furnace 10 has the usual heating chamber 11 heated by means of 5" suitable burners 12 of any desired type ex- 1929. Serial No. 345,818.

tending through the walls 13. The roof is formed by separate blocks l t-positioned so as to' provide a slot 15 extending therethrough throughout the entire length of the furnace and the inner edge of each roofforming block engages and is supported .by suitable block supporting shoulders 16 formed on opposite sides of a hollow casting 17 extending throughout the length of the furnace roof. and supported from overhead cross beams 18 mounted on vertically extending side members or supports 19 spaced at suitable intervals along the outside wall of. the furnace; x

The roof supporting castingis composed of a'plurality of sections identical inform and bolted together to form in effect a single continuous structure. Each section is so shaped as to provide a conveyor chamber 20 having aslot 21 extending from the bottom of the .chamber to the slot 15 in the furnace roof and forming, in effect, an extension thereof, with the result that the conve or chamber 20'and the heating chamber 11 of the furnace are connected by acontinuous slot the interior of the furnace is thereby sealed around the conveyor. The casting also is formed to provide a water chamber or cooling trough 22 or the like disposed around the conveyorchamber 20 and on opposite sides of the slot 21, through which cooling water is circulated for'the purpose of protecting the conveyor mechanism and associated parts from the furnace heat.

As illustrated in Fig. 4, the conveyorchamber 20 in each casting section 17 is open at the ends so that the total length of such chamber depends upon the number of sections placed end to end. The cooling chambers or water troughs 22 are closed at each end of each section and coolingfiuid' is delivered to the bottom of each chamber'22, on each side of the wall of the slot 21 by inlet pipes 23 connected by a suitable connecting pipe 24 with a cold water supply line 25 which may conveniently be mounted on the cross member 18. Used water is withdrawn frorn'the top of each chamber 22 by an outlet pipe 26 communicating with a discharge line I state. As they emerge from the furnace.

spaced'article supporting hooks 29 loosely- One run of an endless conveyor 28 having pivoted in the ends of the supporting mem-f i distance to provide a zone in which an operatorm'ay load the conveyor with sheets; '34 to' be annealed or otherwise treated. The idler sprocket 32 which is y'ieldingly' drawn ioutwa'rdly by a weighted lever 35' isalsobers 30 is arranged to extend and move through the conveyor chamber 20, passing around a driving sprocket 31 atthe delivery end of" the furnace and around I an" idler sprocket -32 at the unloading endQ These 7 movably' supported hooks are positioned or 10 disposed to suspend sheets longitudinally Ifrom the conveyor; The drivingsprocket Q is operated from any suitable source of power such" as. an electric motor 33through any standard reduction driveand is spaced fromthe end of the associated furnace a sufficient spaced from the delivery end of the furnace I suthcient'distance to provide a zone .for

' the furnace. LConveyor supportin-g troughsunloading the sheets as they emerge from 36 I are boltedto each end section '17 of the castings andprovide supports for the conj veyor runs throughthe loading and unloading zones at; each end of "the furnace; and

- the return run of the conveyor passesoyer so, i

Each sheet; 34 is provided-with 'pertora supports 37 above the cross beams 18.

tions 38"near'the upper edge; so that each hook of a'pai r of samecan be hung from the sheet f supporting hooksl 29 I of f the conveyor and pass through the furnace in a suspended each hook of the pair; encounters an unloader 1 mentwith the a'ss'ociatedfsheet' as, shown in. Fig. 6 and'swings them to a position where the associated sheet is released and taken .bythe operator.

39 in; the-form of anfangular or curved rail which engages the 'faceof each hook of a pairof hooks andpushes it'outof engage Th'e conveyor" chamber. 20 is so formed andpositionediwith'relation to the associated ,7 cooling chamberthata relatively large quantity of cooling fluid is continually: circulating through the space between [the conveyorv chamber and the heating chamber so as to Y effectively protect the formerfrom theheat of'the 'latter. At the same time,the direct communication through thexslot between the heatingjchamber and the conveyor chamber '71 does not permit'the escape of heat therethrough as'the" chamber itself is so formed as to provide a seal. The cooling chamber is so' formed as to constitute apart of the roof supporting structure providing a single effectiveiapparatus.

- 1 Although Ihave described a specific form of furnace and conveying mechanism in more orless detail -it will be apparent that various q changes, additions, substitutions I and omissions'may be made therein without departing from the spirit invention or the scope of the appendediclaims, a y What I claim asnew and desire to secure by LettersPatentis r 1. A heating furnace includinga roof and having in combination a conveyor associated with said rooffor continuously moving materialthrough the furnace and a water cooled conveyor chamber disposed around the upper portion of said conveyor-and provided with roof supportingmembers"formed thereon.

2.,A heating furnacehaving in combina-' tion a conveyor for continuously moving ma j teri'al therethrough and a casting associated with said conveyor and formed so as to provide a conveyor chamberiin which :the. upper portion of 7 said conveyor is: located; and'la supporting chamber for cooling fluid and j;

means for circulating a cooling fluid through said supportingchamber. I

3. A 'heatin ggfurna'ce havlng in 'combina tion a conveyorfor continuously movingma-i';

terial through said furnace and a'seriesof similar castings. cooperating to form a conveyor chamber through which said conveyor moves and to form a; cooling chamber there-Iv for, and means for passing a 'coolingfluid through each of said castings.

so as toiprovidea closed topconveyor' cham bercommunicating with said, slot andia COOL" mg chamber disposed around the outside of saidconveyor chamberjand, said slot and means for circulating a 'coolingjjfluid through said cooling chamber.

' '6. A furnacehavinga roofia"frame hav-i ing roof supportingflanges formed thereon i and so shaped-asto provide a conveyor cham ber and a water compartment disposed around said.,conveyor chamber and means for circulating water through said clompa'rtQ 7. The combination with a furnace of a roof, a sectional frame associatedfwith sai'dj roof and provided roof supporting flanges, eachsection of said frame having an.

- open ended conveyor chamber formed therein. and a compartment disposed around the; outside of said chambermeans1for supporting said sections in abutting relationship to form a conveyor 1 chamber throughout the? length of the furnacexrooffandimeans forci'r-v culating cooling water through each of said compartments.

' e a 8. A heating furnace having in combination a conveyor for contmuously moving material therethrough, a chamber disposed around the upper portion of said conveyor, a water chamber disposed around said conveyor chamber, means for conducting cooling water to the bottom .ofsaid water chamber chamber.

and means for discharging. the partially warmed water from the top of said water 9. A heating furnace. having in combinationa conveyor associated therewith for continuously moving material therethrough, a roof supporting member having a conveyor chamber, said conveyor chamber having a water chamber, disposed therearound for cooling the latter. I

10. A heating furnace including a roof and having in combination a conveyor associated furnace, the space between said chamber and the sides of said frame providing a water compartment for the cooling chamber, said water chamber having projecting shoulders for cooperatin with slots cut in the roof, so

that said roo will be supported by said member.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 5th day of March,

WILLIAM F. DETWILER.

withsaid-roof for continuously moving ma- I terial through the furnace, a water chamber for cooling said conveyor having means for supporting the roof of said furnace.

11. A heating furnace including a roof and having in. combination a conveyor as-' sociated with said roof for continuously moving material through the furnace, a

V member supporting said roof which includes a chamber disposed around the upper portion of said conveyor, and a water chamber disposed around said first mentioned chamber for cooling it.

12. A heating furnaceincluding a roof and having in combination a conveyor associated therewith for continuously moving material through the furnace, a unitary unitary member including a chamber disposed around said "conveyor and a water chamber disposed around said first mentioned chamber, said water chamber having projecting shoulders for cooperating with slots cut in the roof, so that said roof will be supported by said member.

, hooks out of engagement with the sheet suspended therefrom.

14. A furnace having a roof, a channelshaped roof supporting frame having a centrally disposed conveyor chamber for the furnace, *the space between said chamber and the sides of said frame providing a I water compartment forcooling the chamber.

15. A furnace having a'roof, a channelshaped roof supporting frame having a centrally disposed conveyor chamber for the 

